1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input display system through which the operating conditions are set up for a copier, facsimile machine, printer or any other appliance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since recent appliances such as copiers, facsimile machines, printers have become able to perform printing in various modes, a variety of operating conditions such as the number of prints, print density, print size, print magnification and the like must be set when printing is performed. To deal with this situation, some techniques have been developed whereby setting keys for setting various operating conditions are displayed on a liquid crystal device or the like so as to allow the user to operate these setting keys in order to set the operating conditions.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 1 No.261667 discloses a copier having a touch-operating interactive user interface with which setting frames can be switched from one to another to set up conditions. In this copier, setting keys in the setting frame are represented by icons so that the user is able to intuitively recognize the meaning of the condition setting keys, thus providing easy selection of the setting keys.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 5 No.100646 discloses an image display system in which a single integrated icon is displayed to represent multiple conditions. In this system, the result of combination of the functions designated by the user are successively displayed as images so as to allow for easy recognition of setup conditions and prevent setup errors.
However, the above prior art technologies have problems as follows.
According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 1 No.261667, it is possible to set up different conditions by switching the setting frame, but only the setting keys alone are represented by icons. Since the set conditions cannot be represented by an integrated icon, this configuration suffers the problem of users taking time over checking and recognition of their set conditions.
According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 5 No.100646, it is disclosed that a multiple number of conditions are represented by one integrated icon, but there is no reference to how the integrated icon is related to the setting frame for setting up conditions.
Accordingly, even if the above prior art technologies are combined, the combination only leads to a configuration whereby multiple conditions within the setting frame are integrally represented. That is, it is impossible for this configuration to reduce the display frame in size and provide an easy-to-recognize setup indication that is able to prevent setup errors.
The present invention has been proposed in view of the above problems and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an input display system which uses a compact display screen and is capable of performing pictorial representations of input conditions in one single integrated icon and providing ease in checking the setup conditions by making clear the relationship between setting keys and pictorial representations in the icon and which is able to positively prevent setup errors.
In order to achieve the above object, the input display system of the present invention is configured as follows:
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, an input display system includes:
a plurality of setting frames, each having setting keys for setting the operational conditions of an apparatus;
a switching means for making one of the plural setting frames active to permit input and displaying the input-active setting frame;
an icon for representing the set conditions in accordance with the conditions set up through the setting keys; and
a display means for displaying one of the plurality of setting frames with the icon, and is characterized in that the icon pictorially and integrally represents the multiple conditions set up via the setting keys, each belonging to any of the plural setting frames, and conditions pictorially represented corresponding to the setting keys arranged in input-active setting frames are made visually distinguishable from those pictorially represented corresponding to the setting keys arranged in input-inactive setting frames.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above first feature further includes a back key for canceling the condition set up immediately before by a setting key and activating the setting frame corresponding to the condition.
In accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above first feature is characterized in that pictorial representations displayed in the integrally displayed icon are used as input triggers so that one of the plural setting frames will be made active.
In accordance with the fourth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above second feature is characterized in that pictorial representations displayed in the integrally displayed icon are used as input triggers so that one of the plural setting frames will be made active.
In accordance with the fifth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above first feature is characterized in that, of the conditions integrally and pictorially represented in the icon, the relationship between one setting key arranged in an input-active setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key is made visually distinguishable from that between one setting key arranged in an input-inactive setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key.
In accordance with the sixth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above second feature is characterized in that, of the conditions integrally and pictorially represented in the icon, the relationship between one setting key arranged in an input-active setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key is made visually distinguishable from that between one setting key arranged in an input-inactive setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key.
In accordance with the seventh aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above third feature is characterized in that, of the conditions integrally and pictorially represented in the icon, the relationship between one setting key arranged in an input-active setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key is made visually distinguishable from that between one setting key arranged in an input-inactive setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key.
In accordance with the eighth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above fourth feature is characterized in that, of the conditions integrally and pictorially represented in the icon, the relationship between one setting key arranged in an input-active setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key is made visually distinguishable from that between one setting key arranged in an input-inactive setting frame and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setting key.
In accordance with the ninth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above fifth feature is characterized in that when a plurality of setup conditions exist in one input-active setting frame, the relationship between each setup function and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setup condition in the integrally displayed icon is displayed so as to be visually distinctive from other relationships.
In accordance with the tenth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above sixth feature is characterized in that when a plurality of setup conditions exist in one input-active setting frame, the relationship between each setup function and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setup condition in the integrally displayed icon is displayed so as to be visually distinctive from other relationships.
In accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above seventh feature is characterized in that when a plurality of setup conditions exist in one input-active setting frame, the relationship between each setup function and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setup condition in the integrally displayed icon is displayed so as to be visually distinctive from other relationships.
In accordance with the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having the above eighth feature is characterized in that when a plurality of setup conditions exist in one input-active setting frame, the relationship between each setup function and the pictorial representation corresponding to the setup condition in the integrally displayed icon is displayed so as to be visually distinctive from other relationships.
In accordance with the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the input display system having any one of the above first through twelfth features is characterized in that if any condition set up in an input-active setting frame yields an unpreferred result, this fact is warned of by the integral pictorial representation and at the same time the conditions for producing a normal output result is informed by the pictorial representation and condition key.